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Frederick M. Padelford letter to his father Adoniram Padelford regarding the financial struggles of life in the West and the possibility of returning to the East, July, 31, 1907

Frederick Morgan Padelford (1875-1942) was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He married a classmate from Colby College, Jessie Elizabeth Pepper (1874-1967), from Waterville, Maine, on July 6, 1899. Professor of English at the University of Washington, Dean of the Graduate School since 1920, Assistant Dean of Faculties, 1927-1981, and assistant vice president, 1931-1932. He was a trustee of the Seattle Public Library 1906-1913, vice president of the American Shakespeare Society since 1928, president of the Seattle Art Institute since 1933. Dr. Padelford was an English scholar of note, recognized for his scholarly achievements and human qualities. His research into the writings of Edmund Spenser gave him recognition as the outstanding authority on the writer in the English speaking world. He had considerable power in helping to shape the growth of the University of Washington.

In 1854, Territorial Governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens suggested that a university for Washington Territory be established. The school officially opened on November 4, 1861 with 30 students. In 1862, the Washington Territorial Legislature incorporated the school and appointed a Board of Regents. Throughout its early years, the university consisted not only of college curricula but also preparatory school curricula. The school faced constant changes in administration, enrollment and financial support in its first twenty years, often closing due to lack of students or funds. By the 1890s, the school had grown by leaps and bounds and had outgrown the size of its original campus. A graduate of the school and later professor, Edmond Meany, served as head of a committee to choose a new site for the university off of Union Bay, further north and east of its current site. In 1895, the school formally moved to this new campus. In 1902 the school consisted of approximately 600 students, and by 1913 the number had increased to roughly 3,340 students. From 1915 to 1926, Henry Suzzallo served as the University's president and the school underwent massive changes in new building construction.